"What kind of relationship?" Pierre was so angry that he was no longer rational.He lost a lot of money, and the unexpected results made him lose his mind. He could not vent at Luke, so he had to find Abel.Hera rolled her eyes and wondered if Pierre was stupid or acted with intention!"It's the kind of relationship where he would come to me occasionally and give me pocket money." She did not make things too clear because she wanted to save her dignity.At the same time, she did not want to show that she was close with Abel. After all, he had so many enemies. She did not want to get in trouble.Pierre understood and sneered. He saw Hera as an escort who was willing to do anything as long as there was money involved."What are you laughing at?" Hera was annoyed. His laughter was full of contempt. How dare he think of her as an escort?"You’re such an arrogant escort. What’s wrong with me laughing at you?" Pierre said grimly. He thought of her as a woman who could be bought with m
"During this time, I’ll have Rain help monitor Luca." Luke was not worried about anything else. He was just worried that Luca would disappear.As such, he had arranged for Rain to watch over Luca.If she disappeared because of this, he was not sure where to find her."Okay." Jason did not worry when he saw that Luke planned everything out.Luca had been hiding in the room and did not come out. She looked at the gorgeous decorations. The emotions that filled her heart were guilt, helplessness, and sadness about their upcoming separation.In the evening, Luke knocked on her door and asked, "Are you in there?"When she heard his voice, Luca got up from the sofa slowly and went to open the door for him."Mr. Crawford, is everything okay?" she asked.Luke raised his head slightly. He found that her expression was normal, and her eyes were not red. In three years, she had grown a lot.A woman who used to cry out of frustration when faced with difficulties could now face everything c
This scene, although depressing, was also beautiful.Luke noticed that she had been looking at the garden and suddenly remembered that she, like Queenie, was interested in gardens and such.She would surely like such an ancient European-style garden."Do you like the style?" Luke asked.Luca was stunned when she heard his question. She glanced at the others, and none of them seemed inclined to answer him.Luke was looking at her. He was asking her."This style is very rare. It's gorgeous. It should be beautiful in spring," Luca did not answer him straight and commented objectively.A lot of space was needed to create such a garden.Ordinary villas had limited garden areas, so it was usually difficult to create such a style. One could only see this style of gardens in ancient castles.Although the leaves of the plants in the garden had fallen off, Luca could still recognize some of the plants. They would grow and bloom more beautifully after vernalization."Miss, you’re right.
Luca stared at the gleam in Vivian's eyes. She knew Vivian was just reminiscing about the past to conceal her sorrows. Luca felt more deeply when she was able to understand how Vivian felt. She could not bear to leave Luke too, but she had to face the cruel reality. What could she do even if she was reluctant to leave him?“It would be enough as long as the memories are kept in our minds,” Luca said in a soft, gentle voice, comforting Vivian and herself. It was enough for Luca that she once used to live happily together with Luke.Vivian gazed at Luca. What Luca said was right, and there was no way she could refute it.“Luca…” Vivian could feel that the woman in front of her had been through a lot. Her sigh was filled with true feelings. However, she was almost the same age as her …"Saying goodbye to someone means a new beginning in your life. Be happy." Luca added as she looked at the huge screen and the high-end sound system. Luca knew it would be great to watch a mov
However, would Luca want to return to the hotel?The person who was manipulating Luca behind her would have heard about the news that T Corporation had gotten the project successfully. That person would still go after T Corporation and him. Therefore, they should have something up his sleeve. Luke thought that Luca would still be the one to implement that person’s next move. That was why Luca was not allowed to be out of his sight. Ray noticed that Luke's gaze was on Luca. He turned to look at her and said, "It's dangerous to drive in a snowstorm. No subway route can bring you back to the hotel either. Why don't you spend the night here?" Luca put down her cutleries, lifted her head, and noticed that Luke and the others were looking at her. They were waiting for her reply…“Mr. Crawford, I’ll leave the decision up to you,” Luca said in a soft voice, telling them that she was fine with the arrangement.Luke nodded. It seemed like Luca had not received any orders. Luke turned
Luca had never given up the thought of saving her daughter all along.However, it was only now that she realized that there was no way she could do this alone. She could not depend on her strength. There was no way she could fight against Abel alone. Every word and every move she made was made known to Abel. Luca needed support from others so that she could fight him. However, who could support her? Luca knew she could only do this alone. There was no one else…Knock, knock. someone was knocking on the door. Luca lifted her head in grievance and suppressed the urge to cry. Only then did she ask, "Who is it?"“Luca, it’s me, Vivian.” Vivian’s voice came from outside the door.Luca sniffed and walked to the door. She opened the door and said, “Vivian, what’s the matter?”Vivian was carrying a set of clothes in her hands. She gave Luca a shy smile and explained, “I thought you might need these, so I came to give them to you. They’re all new. Don’t worry.” Luca took the clothe
“Just tell me if you need anything,” said Luke. He thought that the reason why Vivian chose the Capital was mostly because of Gordan.Although she had made up her mind to leave Gordan, she still missed him in her heart.“Alright. I’ll not hesitate to ask for help if I need it.” Ray nodded. Vivian was the one who could decide where she would be going. He could not interfere.Ray had friends all around the world, after all. Even if Vivian wanted to travel to some state in Africa, he would still be able to make arrangements for her.However, he did not encourage Vivian to head to countries that were lagging behind other countries as she would suffer there. That was why Ray agreed right away when Vivian chose to head to Luke's country, and he had already begun to make arrangements.Ray glanced at the time. It was late. Luke was his guest, so he should not be taking up his time to chat with him. Hence, Ray said, “It’s late. Let me ask the maid to bring you back to your room.”“Sure.”
"Brother Luke, it'd be better for you to stay here." Vivian stopped Luke immediately. It made no sense to ask a guest to help catch an intruder. "Trust Ray. He can handle this well. Besides, the villa is more than a hundred years old. The person who broke in will get lost easily even if he has the map. And your leg is still injured. We should stay here."Luca went along with Vivian’s words and said, "Mr. Crawford, I think we shouldn't cause any trouble for Mr. Ray."Luke slightly frowned. Although the current situation did not look too good, Luke could feel Luca’s love for him.She was concerned about him…Luke stared at Luca for a while. It was indeed inconvenient for him to go look for Ray now. He could only come up with a few ideas for Ray, but he could not be of much help.Ray would still have to ask someone to protect him if something happened.His staying here would not cause any trouble for Ray, and he could also make sure that Luca was within his sight…Luke decided at o
“As long as he stays out of your sight, I won’t make a move,” said Ray.If Gordan were not one of Luke’s pals, he would have been long gone.Anyone who dared to mess with someone Ray cherished would not be let off easily. The only reason Gordan was still breathing was thanks to Luke.“Alright, Ray. Just let it go. I’ve moved on and started a new life. Plus, I’m studying at Capital University. We have mutual friends, so running into him is inevitable. If that happens, we’ll just be strangers. There’s no need to step in for me or act impulsively.” Just as Vivian finished speaking, the doorbell rang.“Is it the clothes delivery?” asked Ray.“No, while you were talking with Mr. Crawford, I asked someone to buy some medicinal cream. The ones here work better than the ones in Russia. A little massage with it should help you heal faster,” Vivian said, grabbing a mask and hat before heading to the door.“Miss, is the boss alright?” asked one of Ray’s subordinates.“He’s fine. Did you ge
When Ray heard that there was a 90% chance of success, he could not help but ask, “Can you walk me through your plan?”“The prison where Kassy is being held actually has an underground passage. I’ve already spoken with the prison officials, and we can use that passage to transport her out. It connects to the sewage system, which leads directly to another detention facility. "The only catch is that this facility’s underground pipes don’t connect to the outside world, so the remaining 10% risk lies in moving Kassy onto the main road and securing her at the new location.“This whole operation can be done without anyone noticing, which is why I’m confident it’ll work.” As Luke explained, he pulled out a detailed map of the sewer system. “Here’s the layout I had someone retrieve. This is the starting point, and this is the destination. If we take this route, we can move Kassy without alerting Abel’s people.”Abel’s men were keeping a constant watch outside the prison now. That was prec
Luke had no idea what kind of mindset the person who poisoned Vivian had. However, he found Gordan’s current behavior quite intriguing.“Luke, what’s with that look?” Gordan felt uneasy under his gaze.“You seem pretty concerned about Vivian,” Luke leaned back on the couch and said thoughtfully.Gordan froze for a moment before laughing it off. “What? No way! Why would I care about her? Come on, Luke, don’t say stuff like that. If she hears it, she might start getting ideas.”Luke could not be bothered to expose his act and got straight to the point. “Why are you here?”“Speaking of that, I almost got sidetracked by that woman.” Gordan quickly pulled out his phone, grimacing. “Man, Ray really didn’t hold back. I need to get some treatment for these bruises later.”Luke took the phone and tried to unlock it. It needed a passcode. He handed it back. “Unlock it.”“All set, boss.” Gordan unlocked the phone and went back to pressing an ice pack against his face.Luke scanned the scr
It was the sound of a body slamming onto the ground.Gordan’s furious curses rang out. “Damn it! You're really going all out, huh? Do you think I'm scared of you?”Another loud thud followed.Vivian frowned. What the hell were they doing? Were they really going to fight until one of them won?Both of them were skilled fighters. If they kept this up, neither would walk away unscathed.“Enough!” shouted Vivian.The two men locked in the fight froze for a moment.“Vivian, stay out of this. I’m beating him to a pulp today,” growled Ray, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He was not in great shape, but neither was Gordan.“Ray, I don’t want to see him,” said Vivian. She did not want Ray fighting him. It was not to protect Gordan but because she did not want Ray getting hurt.Also, she definitely did not want Gordan to see her like this. She could already picture his smug face, his sarcastic remarks and his gloating.“Fine. If you don’t want to see him, I’ll just beat
After returning to the hotel from the hospital, Vivian felt much better.To her, the fact that Ray had taken her to the hospital meant there was hope for the future, which lifted her spirits. She picked up an apple from the fruit platter the hotel had provided and took a bite.“Ray, this apple is really good. Want to try one?” asked Vivian.Ray shook his head. “You go ahead. By the way, can I take a look at the luggage you brought from Russia?”Vivian nodded. “I only hung up my clothes. Everything else is still in the suitcase. You can just take the things out.”Ray walked into the bedroom, pulled out her suitcase, and opened it. Inside were just books and a few other small items, nothing unusual.“You didn't bring any food with you?” asked Ray.“I haven’t really been in the mood, but the food here is way better than Russian food, so I didn't feel the need to bring anything.” Vivian’s tone was lighthearted now that she was in a better mood.“That's true.” Ray agreed, then asked
Ray's tone turned serious. “Alright, I'll make the arrangements immediately. Dr. Craw, once the toxicology report is out, we’ll still need your help.”“For toxicology cases like this, I recommend combining both modern medicine and traditional herbal medicine. Don’t worry, if I can help, I definitely will,” Luca assured him.“Alright, thank you.” Ray expressed his gratitude and ended the call before updating Luke on the situation.Luke reassured him, saying, “If Vivian was really poisoned, don’t worry. Previously, Luca discovered that her biological mother had been poisoned with a slow-acting toxin. She prescribed herbal medicine and used purely traditional herbal medicine to detoxify her. It didn’t take long for all the toxins to be expelled, and her health fully recovered. So, rest assured. If it’s something she can fix, she’ll do everything she can.“Besides, once we identify the exact problem, the doctors will be able to step in and help, right?”“Yes. Thank you both in advance
Gerald walked over. “Ms. Sanchez, what's wrong?”He was eager to get back upstairs and stash his cigarettes before someone noticed and took them.Hera yanked open his bag, glanced at the cigarette brand, and scoffed. “I thought it was some expensive brand. But it's just this? And you’re acting all deferential to her over this?”Gerald was rendered speechless. “I knew Ms. Craw was going out, so I asked her to bring these back for me. This is the brand I’m used to. Maybe it’s not expensive to you, but for me, it’s what I can afford.”Realizing she had misspoken, Hera felt a bit awkward. She quickly changed the topic. “Still, is a pack of cigarettes really worth you being so grateful to Luca? How much could it have cost?”“It’s not about the money,” replied Gerald. “It's just a nice surprise. I never expected to get anything out of helping Ms. Craw, and this kind of unexpected gift has nothing to do with the price. Besides, I'm not being overly grateful. I'm just happy.”He was ba
Luca’s lips were already swollen and flushed from Luke's kisses.That deep shade of red, reflected in Luke’s eyes, was utterly captivating. It tugged at his nerves, stirring an uncontrollable desire within him.At that moment, he had only one thought, and it was to completely lose himself in her.…The two of them stepped out of the bedroom.Vivian quickly turned her back and greeted Luke when he saw him coming out, “Hello, Mr. Crawford.”“Vivian, don’t worry. Everything will get better,” replied Luke.Vivian simply hummed in response.Ray gave them a grateful nod as Luke took Luca’s hand and led her away.It was only after hearing the door close that Vivian finally turned back around.Ray glanced at her and said, “Vivian, they’re your friends. You don’t have to act this way around them. They won’t judge you.”“I know they won’t…” Vivian let out a soft sigh. “I just feel like I look terrifying right now. I didn’t want to scare them, so I avoided facing them directly. But it’
“I once treated someone who had been slowly poisoned over a long period of time. Their pulse was similar to Vivian’s. Given that your family has good genetics, yet Vivian is different from the rest of you, and her skin improved after leaving her original environment, all of this confirms my suspicion.“Could it be that someone in your family has been poisoning Vivian? That would explain why her skin ended up like this.”“If she really has been poisoned, then would staying away from that environment or identifying the person responsible help her get better?” asked Ray.Luca shook her head.“The poison I’ve encountered before was a slow-acting toxin that kept the victim’s skin dark. I don’t know exactly what it was, but long-term exposure to any poison has an effect on the body. It's just a suspicion now. I need to consult someone I know. And honestly, I can’t be sure what’s really causing Vivian’s condition.“Is her skin deteriorating so quickly because she was poisoned once more a